1. Field of the Invention
This invention is directed to a method for improving performance of gas-liquid separators. More particularly, the invention is directed to a method of improving the operation of gas-liquid separators which separate hydrocarbonaceous liquids, e.g., crude oil, from gas, such as gas contained in the stream of crude oil produced from an underground reservoir.
2. Description of Related Art
In many industrial applications, it is necessary to separate a liquid constituent of a mixture from the gaseous constituent thereof. For example, crude oil, which is produced from underground reservoirs as a mixture of oil, water and hydrocarbon gases (natural gases), must be separated from the water and gases before it is subjected to downstream processing and upgrading. The natural gas normally consists of a mixture of strength chain or paraffin hydrocarbon gases plus lesser amounts of cyclic and aromatic hydrocarbons. The gas stream may also consist of small quantities of CO.sub.2, H.sub.2 S, mercaptans and H.sub.2.
Different devices are known in the art which separate such entrained gases from liquid hydrocarbons, as illustrated in "Fundamentals of Oil and Gas Separation", by C. R. Sivalls in Proceedings of the Gas Conditioning Conference, University of Oklahoma, Mar. 7-9, 1977, and in Fundamentals of Natural Gas Conditioning by R. N. Curry, PennWell Publishing Company, 1983, and in the patent literature. For example, McMillan, U.S. Pat. No. 4,424,068, discloses a separator for separating a mixture of oil, gas and water received from a hydrocarbon-producing well. The separator comprises a vessel containing a dynamic separator device followed by separation chambers. The dynamic separator device progressively increases the droplet size of the oil and water of the mixture by flowing it in a spiral. Subsequently, the mixture is forced to flow linearly into the first of a series of the separation chambers, wherein the mixture is impacted against an impact member to partially separate the gas from the resultant oil and water mixture. The partially separated gas is processed separately from the resulting mixture of water and oil. An unspecified treatment chemical may be admixed with the mixture to enhance the separation of the constituent components of the mixture from each other.
Other three-phase oil-gas-water separators are also known in the art. For example, typical horizontal and vertical three-phase oil-gas-water separators are disclosed by H.V. Smith in Petroleum Production Handbook, Volume I, Chapter 11, McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc., New York (1962), edited by T. C. Frick and R. W. Taylor, the entire contents of Chapter 11 being incorporated herein by reference.
Rivers, Jr., et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,132,535, disclose the use of a copolymer of an alkene-substituted pyridinium group and an alkene-substituted benzene group, such as a copolymer of styrene and 2-vinyl pyridine, in gas streams to control the formation of oil and water emulsions and hydrates.